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Fracking is now responsible for 90 percent of domestic oil and gas production, with thousands of wells popping up across the nation. The number of wells is expected to skyrocket during the next two decades.

The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) of 1976 requires the safe disposal of solid waste and hazardous materials. In 1980, RCRA was amended to exempt waste from the production and development of oil and natural gas (“exploration & production” waste), and so these fracking wastes are not considered hazardous as a result.

Today, U.S. Rep. Cartwright (D-PA) introduced the Closing Loopholes and Ending Arbitrary and Needless Evasion of Regulations (CLEANER) Act. The legislation aims to eliminate a hazardous waste exemption that was added onto the RCRA in 1980. That amendment, which exempted oil and gas companies from having hazardous waste disposal standards, would be removed under the CLEANER Act.

Rep. Cartwright explained:

Under current federal law, oil and gas companies do not even have to test their waste to see if it is toxic, leaving us with no way of knowing what is being disposed of and how it is being treated. It is time oil and gas companies comply with existing minimum standards and oversight. RCRA is meant to protect the public and the environment from hazardous waste. Toxins pose health and environmental risks no matter what industry produces them. It’s time to hold oil and natural gas producers to the same standards that other industries have complied with for over 30 years.

Today the task of regulating disposal of these wastes is currently left to states, with mixed results. For example due to numerous complaints in Ohio, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is conducting an investigation of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources who is responsible for issuing disposal permits for these wastes to be injected underground in Ohio. The Columbus Dispatch recently reported that Ohio injected more than 14 million barrels of fracking waste into disposal wells in 2012, and more than 8 million came from other states.

Many communities in Ohio are allowing spreading of oil and gas waste products on roads for dust control assuming that some government authority must have tested them and deemed them safe. However, this waste is not tested and it is very likely to run off into our streams and lakes. We hope that our U.S. Representatives such as Representative Joyce and Ryan will cosponsor this legislation to ensure protection of our water and the health and safety of the people of Ohio.

Comments

http://www.texog.com/blog TAP Management

“Fracking is now responsible for 90 percent of domestic oil and gas production.” This is simply not true. Here is the actual data according to the EIA. Casual misinformation is one of the most effective and poisonous forms of persuasion.

It would help if you could provide a link to the actual legislation you’re writing about on govtrack.us or popvox.

Thanks.

Brenda Lee

I HOPE THIS LEGISLATION GETS PASSED! PLEASE DO YOUR PART AND EMAIL YOUR CONGRESSIONAL REPRESENTIVES! ASK THEM TO CO-SPONSOR THE “CLEANER ACT”!!!

John Merrick

Don’t frack me bro!

Beverly Simone

@TAP Management – “Leaders in Oil and Natural Gas Production Since 2005″
You’re defending fracking because YOU are the frackers!
Are you fracking kidding me, saying that the 90% statistic is untrue, and “poisonous forms of persuasion”? It wouldn’t matter if it’s nine percent –
It should be zero percent!
How can you sleep at night, knowing that your company destroys our planet
for money? Makes me sick…

Gerson Lesser, MD

It is becoming more obvious that methane leaks a larger than had been previously thought; and for this reason alone natural gas from fracking leaves a greater imprint on global warming than does coal! Also, we must calculate to huge amounts of fresh water taken for fracking in the effects of this on our future water supplies.

Gerson Lesser, MD

It is becoming more obvious that methane leaks are larger than had been previously thought; and for this reason alone natural gas from fracking leaves a greater imprint on global warming than does coal! Also, we must calculate to huge amounts of fresh water taken for fracking in the effects of this on our future water supplies.

Dirk

Here in Arkansas they just pile up waste from pads and pit liners some go to a landfill most goes into the woods gets burned and buried the sites are easy ro find follow the dead trees and thick black smoke. recently they have taken to burning it right out the rig to pit pipe over the pit who cares right they sure dont here.

mary

Please take pictures, please share, thanks.

K. ROBERTS

This unethical, illegal “disposal” of fracking waste MUST be reported- over and over,to dozens of peopke, regulators, EPA, everyone, to force this practice to be stopped! This is the mostdangerous industry there is, to our health and that of the environment. We must take all steps necessary to stop fracking, before it’s too late!

Peter Tyler

Australians are watching the corruption and destruction of the shale gas extraction industry in the USA and saying ‘no way will we let this happen to our country’.